AMDG
Dear
faithful Pastor:
First of all, thank you so much for
giving your life to the God, His Church, and to us. Your work is so important and crucial in
being another Christ in bringing us Mass, the sacraments, counseling us,
teaching us, overseeing parish groups, and managing the parish, an enterprise
just as challenging as running a business or other organization. Your duties in running one or two or even
three parishes often with a school and other services can be overwhelming while
keeping up with the indispensable Liturgy of the Hours. Through your most noble vocation over your
career you will have brought the Lord’s mercy to hundreds if not thousands of
souls and help them along the narrow and often difficult road to salvation. May God reward you richly and use all of the
trials, crosses, and frustrations of your crucial job to make you a saint. Again my deepest gratitude.
May I ask your help in promoting this
year’s Men’s Conference mainly through at least one parish representative and
other laymen. A deacon or associate
pastor can also help. We realize that
you cannot do it alone with all of your many responsibilities. Please permit me to impose upon your time
with the following write-up of mine on the importance of the Steubenville Diocesan Men’s Day of Renewal (March 7, 9am – 4 pm in the Basilica
in Marietta) and the resources for promoting it. By now you should have received at least one or
more posters and packets of brochures for each one of your parishes. If not please contact Roger Huck by e-mail at
huck4816@roadrunner.com or call him at home
740-984-2234 or his cell at 740-336-9128.
Please excuse the
length. I wanted to be complete. To make it an easier read, I have
many subtitles. Please give it at least a good skim, reading only what you
consider useful.
The following two bulletin
blurbs may be helpful (more are attached) as a starting point according to your
space limitations:
1. Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal Saturday, March 7 from 9 am – 4 pm at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption in
Marietta. In the first talk Dr. Hahn will draw upon his 1986 conversion
experience to help us to be more effective in the New Evangelization, which
applies to all of us. Hopefully the men
will leave with a sense of mission to show fallen away Catholics within their
extended families and circle of friends what they are missing by drifting
away. Every Catholic has a part, small
or large, in bringing non-Catholics and unchurched friends to the Faith. Critical is selling them on the
faith........Why be Catholic despite the scandal we have suffered through?
2.
Diocesan
Men's Day of Renewal Saturday, March 7 from 9 am – 4 pm at the Basilica
of St. Mary of the Assumption in Marietta. In the second
talk Dr. Hahn will draw upon his experience as the father of six, including two
in the seminary. Scott Hahn can give us
some great tips on how to make your home a domestic church as advocated by St.
Pope John Paul II. Certainly Scott Hahn has had his struggles as we all
do in forming our families and keeping our marriages healthy. He has
given considerable thought to the Domestic Church in writing his book, "The
First Society", which today is in a grave crisis.
ACTIVE BACKING OF
THE PASTOR CRUCIAL FOR THE MEN’S CONFERENCE
It is the role of
the father to assume spiritual leadership in the family, but in many if not
most cases, the mother assumes that role.
As Danny Abramowicz, 2012 Conference speaker and former All-Pro wide
receiver for the New Orleans Saints, says, “The men have dropped the
ball”. If the father takes the spiritual
lead instead of the mother, the probability that the children will remain
faithful to the Church in later life doubles or triples. The Church in American may be losing a
generation of youth. The men must become
the pillars of the parish, not only the women.
The men must step up. Thus it is
crucial to reach the men and the Diocesan Men’s Day of Renewal plays an
important part because the enthusiasm generated is contagious as the men
witness to each other. Setting the men
on fire means stronger families which in turn means the renewal of the parish. Taking a day off for the Men’s Conference
would be a great Lenten sacrifice.
The
Diocesan Men’s Day of Renewal will be held on Saturday March 7 from 9 am to 4
pm at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption in Marietta. The theme of
the Conference is “The Challenge
of Being Catholic”. The patron of the Conference is St. Joseph, a model of a true man of God, whose
intercession we count upon for its success.
The goal of the Men's Day of Renewal is the spiritual
development of the men of our diocese. That includes helping the men to take
the right path before having to face the four last things.......Death,
Judgment, Heaven or Hell. Having
spiritually strong men of faith and character translates into more solid
families, more dynamic parishes, and better communities. This is crucial to the
Church and particularly our diocese, now and in the future. It is also critical
for nurturing vocations.
The Conference will open with both talks of our main
speaker, Dr. Scott Hahn since he will be on his way to Rome for a lecture
series at the Angelicum Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. In his first talk, Scott will draw
on Church's teaching and his own experience to show how ordinary
Catholics can effectively share their faith, and
so fulfill the New Evangelization. Every one
of us, as Catholics, is called not only to keep the faith, but also to share it
with others. This talk will help Catholic laymen to reach friends,
co-workers, and family members, especially those who are non-practicing
or have drifted away from the Church. He will also address the
question, why and how can we remain faithful Catholics
-- in the face of clerical corruption and the scandals we have witnessed?
In his second talk,
Dr. Hahn will speak on how to strengthen our marriages and our family
life, both of which are in crisis. Drawing from Scripture, and forty
years of experience as a husband and a father. Scott will
offer some practical tips on how to make your home a domestic church
--which
St. Pope John Paul II advocated-- particularly with the help of the
Holy Family. He will also share some valuable lessons
learned from his own struggles, drawing from his most
recent book, The First Society: The Sacrament of Matrimony and
the Restoration of the Social Order.
 |
| Dr. Scott Hahn |
Dr. Scott Hahn is
Professor of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at the Franciscan
University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990. He is
the Founder and President of the St. Paul Center, an apostolate dedicated to
teaching Catholics how to read Scripture from the heart of the Church.
Scott has been married to Kimberly for forty years, and together they have
six children and eighteen grandchildren. Two of their sons
are seminarians studying for the Steubenville Diocese. A former Presbyterian pastor, Scott entered
the Catholic Church in 1986. The author or editor of over forty popular and
academic books, including “Rome Sweet Home” and “The
Lamb’s Supper”, Dr. Hahn has delivered thousands of talks, nationally
and internationally, on a variety of topics related to Scripture and the
Catholic faith.
Bishop
Monforton will preside at the Mass and give the homily. Confession with a Penance Service is also
offered and you are asked to be one of the confessors. A bag lunch will be served. This is a hard sell for many men, but the Lord will help
us. If we can mobilize an average of 10
men from every parish in the diocese, this event would be a smashing
success!
The Ideal. We have found that when the
pastor enthusiastically backs the Men’s Conference, participation of the men
significantly increases. The ideal is
for the pastor to accompany his men.
This is a great opportunity to become closer to the men and know them
better. This helps parish solidarity as
the men also get to know each other better.
For those in the southern end of the diocese, the distance might be great,
but that makes the Conference a Lenten sacrifice and gives it a pilgrimage
flavor with enjoyable fellowship, discussion about points brought out, and
prayer such as the rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet if they travel together
in a van or two.
For example, Fr. Walter Heinz, pastor emeritus of Sacred
Heart Pomeroy was an imposing figure.
According to one of the men of the parish, he simply told the guys:
“It’s all paid for and we’re going”.
They did. It was hard to tell
him, no. He heard confessions while
there and returned in time for his Saturday evening Mass.
Another option
is to stay at a motel in Marietta and make a retreat out of it. As you know,the Basilica is one of the most
beautiful churches in the world and is ideal for prayer and reflection. There will be Eucharistic Adoration all day
Friday until 7 pm in the Chapel of the English Martyrs to the right of the main
altar. Stations of the Cross will
follow. The men may bring their families
to stay overnight at a motel and explore Marietta during the Conference. Go to https://mariettaohio.org/.
We
cannot expect the already busy and overworked pastor to constantly promote the
Diocesan Men’s Day of Renewal. We are
grateful that many promote the Conference as bulletin blurbs, the brochure as a
bulletin insert, including a prayer for its success in the Offertory Petitions
at daily and Sunday Mass, give plugs from the pulpit after Sunday Mass,
etc. The pastor cannot do it alone; he
needs the help of the laity. However
there is much the pastor can do with little effort on his part.
Useful
Resources. You and the parish representatives that you appoint
can utilize our Conference Blog at http://diosteubmen.blogspot.com. The 2020 series of resources begins with Blog
#184) A General Overview
of the 2020 Steubenville Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal; and #185) Form to Place an Ad in the Program Booklet; and followed by:
#186) Diocesan Press
Release #1: Scott Hahn to Speak at Men’s
Day of Renewal;
#186) Diocesan Press
Release #1: Scott Hahn to Speak at Men’s
Day of Renewal;
#187 Possible Short
Announcements For the Church Bulletin;
#188) Promotion
Ideas;
#189) Functions &
Crucial Importance of the Parish Rep;
#190) Sample Sign Up
Sheet;
#191) Sample Bulletin
Insert & Facebook Entry;
#192) Diocesan Press
Release #2: Urgently Needed: A Few Good Men to Promote the Men's Conference;
#193) Backing of the
Pastor Crucial to the Men's Conference;
#194) Role of the Deacon
in Promoting the Men's Conference;
#195) Example of an
After Mass Promotional Talk By a Layman;
#196) Examples of
Possible Pastor Announcements Supporting the Men's Conference;
#197) Diocesan Press
Release #3: Men Asked to Make a Lenten Sacrifice to Attend the Men's Conference;
#198) Mobilization of
the Knights of Columbus Councils to Attend & Help Promote the Men’s Conference;
#199) Invitation to
Parishes in West Virginia to Attend the Men's Conference;
#200) Invitation to
College Students to Attend the Men's Conference;
#201) Press Release to
Catholic Newspapers;
#202) Press Release to
Secular Newspapers; and
#203) My Ad in the 2020 Program Booklet; Numbers 184 – 203 will be added in the next several
days. They correspond to numbers 160- 179
of 2019 which are similar in principle
to this year.
The following link
gives a good overview of the Men’s Conference:
(244) Scott Hahn to Speak
on How to Participate in the New Evangelization and Building the Domestic
Church at the 2020 Steubenville Diocesan Men’s Day of Renewal https://paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com/2020/02/244-scott-hahn-to-speak-on-how-to.html.
The
diocesan website at www.diosteub.org
will have a link to the brochure and Additional Information (for now it has the
Register article and photos of last year’s conference). Hover over the “ABOUT” Menu at the top of
home page. Then hover on “Men’s
Ministry” and click on “Men’s Day of Renewal”.
More direct is https://diosteub.org/mens-day-of-renewal. You should have received at the beginning of
February a poster and a packet of brochures for each of your parishes. If not, please inform me.
For
your convenience and possible use you will find attached:
1) Conference Brochure with Registration Form; 2) Sample Bulletin Announcements;
3) Sample Bulletin Insert; 4) Functions of the Parish Representative; 5)
Promotion Ideas; and 6) Sample Sign Up Sheet to put in back of the church; 7) Example
of an After Mass Talk By a Layman; 8) Possible Pastor Announcements; 9) A List
of My Articles by Subject and Link (Includes a section on Men’s Conferences).
There
are also interesting articles on men’s spirituality at http://diosteubmen.blogspot.com, along
with summaries of past talks, promotional resources, and other
information. After the Conference and
throughout the year, articles will be added to help the men keep in good
spiritual shape. Clergy, Religious, and
knowledgeable layman are invited to submit to me for the Conference Blog articles
or copies of homilies that are particularly appropriate for men’s spirituality. For a greater variety, go to “A Little Bit
for God and His People” at http://paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com.
Many
if not most men will hardly notice the brochure in the back of the church,
poster, bulletin blurbs, etc. although they are indeed important and
helpful. What they can’t miss is the
one-on-one personal selling by their peers, i.e., talking it up. The most effective form of advertising or
promotion is word of mouth. Most important
is the witness of men who have gone to a previous Conference. What is needed is a little “arm twisting”
figuratively. And of course there’s
Facebook, Twitter, texting, and the old fashioned phone calling.
The
Parish Representative is most important……PLEASE BE SURE THAT
YOUR PARISH HAS ONE WHO IS ENTHUSIASTIC and has a certain apostolic zeal. As in any organization, the executive must
delegate as much as possible. The key is
to ask one or two good men to be parish representatives. If one of them is a member of the Knights of
Columbus, he would have access to the local council. The main job of the parish rep is to promote
the Conference, mainly by one-on-one personal selling, register the men, and
organize them to go together in the parish van, car or van pool, or bus. He also helps the pastor to utilize the
resources mentioned in the previous paragraph as submitting blurbs and an
insert for the Sunday bulletin. The
parish rep can try to talk to each man in the parish before and after Mass or
Stations of the Cross or other devotions, during fish fries, at parish or
Knights of Columbus meetings, and other activities. Please send the names, e-mail address, and
phone number of the chosen parish representative(s) to both “Don Coen - Chair Diocesan
Men's Day of Renewal” donandmargcoen@yahoo.com and to me at paulrsebastian@yahoo.com.
The deacon may be the parish representative as in the
case of St. Paul’s and Christ the King in Athens. Or the deacon may supervise the promotional
efforts of two or three laymen.
The
men may register individually or the parish representative may collect the
registration forms with payment and send them to Roger Huck; %Men’s Day of
Renewal, P.O. Box 54; Beverly, OH 45715 (e-mail: huck4816@roadrunner.com). This would save considerable time waiting at
the door on the morning of the Conference.
Checks for the Registration cost of $25.00 per person are to be made
payable to the Diocese of Steubenville
with “Men's Day of Renewal” written
on the memo line of the check. If any
man would like to attend, but can’t afford it, the parish can help or contact
me at the door.
NEW: The men are encouraged
to bring their sons and thus make this day in part a father and son event. For the first time boys 18 and under will
be admitted free of charge. The goal
is to instill in the young men the habit of Lenten sacrifice, spiritual growth,
and preparation for the great feast of Easter.
Hopefully, the older boys will help their fathers to build the domestic
church at home and lead their younger siblings in a domestic evangelization.
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